


nothing, my sparrow blue

by chloeee



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22709269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chloeee/pseuds/chloeee
Summary: Instead of letting Sasuke slip through his fingers again, Naruto catches him before he finds Itachi.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	nothing, my sparrow blue

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place between Sasuke vs Deidara and Sasuke vs Itachi.

Naruto’s legs carry the steady pace his heart is failing to match. One foot at a time, forward. He hears Kiba’s shouting over the thunderous pounding of his blood behind his ears. “Just past this forest in the clearing straight ahead. Maybe seven-hundred meters.” Akamaru gives an affirmative yip.

Kakashi grunts in acknowledgement. “Naruto! Slow down and stay in formation.” Naruto ignores him, pushing forward at a punishing pace, Team 7 and 8 trailing behind him. Just a little more. A few more steps, so close. So close. He breaks through the thick canopy and comes to an abrupt halt.

His breath hitches.

That familiar silhouette is finally within reach, for the first time in what feels like a lifetime – because every second Naruto spends without him is a second too many. He’s gotten taller again, face a little sharper, hair a little longer, just a little more unfamiliar.

“Sasuke.”

He turns towards the voice, and Naruto catches his gaze. His eyes, those are still the same.

Naruto might not recognize the new ink curled around his neck, or the wisp of more black peaking thru his white sleeves. He might not understand the stiff lines of his back, or recall the new tick he seems to have developed in his jaws. But the familiar clench of his hands – revealing more ink wrapped around his wrist, another snake – and the manic energy of his chakara. Naruto knows him like he knows the quiet burn of the demon deep within his guts. And his _eyes_ , their cold gaze burning a hole through the scar Naruto refuses to heal. This is _Sasuke_.

The dust is still settling around him when the rest of the group arrives.

Before Naruto can open his mouth again, the Konoha-nin engage the enemy. Hinata and Sai locks down the woman closest to them, with 3 ink tigers prowling slow circles around her. Wooden beams shoot up around the large man as Yamato attempts to restrain him while Sakura wrestles with him hands on when familiar black bruises start crawling across his face. Akamaru, with Kiba still riding him, growls at the other boy. Shino watches cautiously from behind, silent, as always. Kakashi narrows his eye when he sees Zabuza’s sword before pulling his kunai up.

Naruto steps forward. The woman tenses. “Sasuke-kun, do you want us to take them down?”

Naruto wonders who this woman is. Perhaps another fangirl? Doubtless Sasuke’s ability to attract flies has only grown along with the broadening of his shoulders.

Sasuke stares at Naruto, ignoring her. Satisfaction is an ugly feeling Naruto refuses to acknowledge.

“You’re here.” Unable to shield the sense of wonder from escaping his tone, Naruto tries again. “Bastard, all I do is chase after you but you keep leaving me behind.” Hesitantly Naruto smiles, “What’s a boy gotta do to get some attention around here? Ne, Sasuke?”

Sasuke presses his lips together. Petal thin, Naruto wonders if they’ve touched anyone else since the disastrous first time he fell on them, and possessiveness surges up his spine making him feel brittle to the bone, because Sasuke isn’t his to have.

“You keep making me embarrass myself and everyone is starting to think I’m insane.” Naruto lets a laugh escape this time. “I finally caught you Sasuke, come on let’s go home.” Another tentative smile.

At last, Sasuke responds, “Naruto. This time Kakashi too.”

Kakashi speaks up after being addressed. “Sasuke, I don’t know what you plan on doing with Orochimaru but that ends here. It’s time to come home.”

Sasuke snorts at that and locks eyes with Kakashi. “Orochimaru is dead. I’m going after Itachi.”

Naruto did not expect to hear that Orochimaru is gone, but Itachi? That’s a familiar answer. He steps closer and keeps talking with conviction he prays will be enough, trying to will Sasuke’s gaze back towards him. “I know dumbass, let’s go back to the village and we can make a plan of attack with-”

“No. This is my clan’s vengeance. I will take his head alone, Uchiha for Uchiha.” Black _black_ eyes stare back at him. Sasuke’s expression is meant to look cold, but those eyes haven’t stopped burning him since he was seven. Distantly, he wonders if he keeps putting himself in Sasuke’s line of sight, maybe one day he’ll burst out into flames and the aching of his heart will simply melt away to ashes.

Naruto tries again, “Sasuke I’m begging you do you want me down on my knees? I miss you I-” Naruto’s breath catches, “I need you to come b-back with me.” Then quietly, before he loses his courage, “back to the village, back _home_.”

Sasuke stares at a spot right behind Naruto’s right ear. He does not speak.

He hears rustling behind him before Kakashi breaks the silence, “Naruto, we cannot stand here forever.”

“Then I won’t stand.”

Naruto drops down on to the ground, clutching Sasuke’s hand between his palms, holding this person, the most important piece of himself, finally within his grasps. He leans down and brings Sasuke’s knuckles up to his lips. His neck bare, open to attacks from all sides, a position of utter subjugation. This close, Naruto can trace the lines of the tattoos snaking across his skin. Sasuke could take his head off right this second and Naruto wouldn’t feel a single thing before it’s done. Instead of making himself more defendable, Naruto closes his eyes, and whispers Sasuke’s name against his hand. _Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke._ Almost as if he’s praying to a deity, willing Him to listen.

Sasuke tries to jerk his hand back but Naruto holds on, shifting his head so his cheeks can rest on him, a mockery of a lover’s cradle.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone.” He sounds heated. Naruto thinks he sounds alive.

Naruto remembers Sasuke, small, so small, sitting alone on the edge of the pier. Sasuke, eating alone on the academy rooftop, undisturbed because no one else could figure out how to get up there. Sasuke, training alone after another pointless day of plucking weed. Sasuke, getting stronger because he doesn’t want to see any more of his important friends die. Sasuke, repeating “I am an avenger,” again and again. Alone, always alone.

On the tip of Naruto’s tongue, _Thinking about you being alone out there terrifies me. You terrify me._ How can he say, _I’m so scared I can barely breath. I don’t remember the last time I fell asleep without wondering where you are and how you are and what you’re doing. I miss you so much it feels like a part of my soul is gone and I don’t even know when you took it but you left and now its gone._

How does Naruto tell him, _I think I love you just a little too much_.

Instead, he says, “Sasuke. You’re my friend.”

Sasuke takes a stuttering breath. “Naruto.” How desperately Naruto longs for him to say his name again. Throwing it in his face when he’s annoyed, screaming it when he’s so angry he could kill him, forget to call him ‘Dobe’ and saying his name in awe when Naruto manages to impress him.

Naruto breathes, softly, “I want-,” he breaks off, “I don’t want you to be alone.”

Harder this time, Sasuke pulls his hand back, and Naruto lets him go.

They stare at each other, Naruto still on his knees. The silence so stifling even Akamaru’s usual snuffles disappear.

“Sasuke what are you waiting for kill him and let’s go.” The boy with Zabuza’s sword reveals his mouthful of sharp teeth.

Sasuke takes a step back. “I’m going to Itachi.”

Naruto stands up, reaching out towards him again, “Let me come wi-”

“No.”

Naruto closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “After then. I’ll come find you.”

Sasuke doesn’t say a word.

Naruto looks at this man, the most important part of his soul. This unfamiliar man who holds himself too stiff, covered in tattoos of things he doesn’t understand, growing farther and farther away from him.

_I’m scared next time I see you I won’t recognize you. I’m afraid I won’t know your touch and I won’t be able to read your emotions._

He says it again, “After. I’ll come find you.”

_I’m terrified one day I won’t know who you are anymore._

Sasuke looks away, “We’re leaving.”

The curse mark recedes from the large man’s skin and before Kiba can shout “WAIT-,” Sasuke and his team is gone.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Kiba pulls on Akamaru’s fur, ready to launch after Sasuke.

Naruto turns around to face Kakashi. “Let them go.” His head bowing low and his hands flexing to the phantom touch of Sasuke’s skin. He can see Sakura’s wet eyes and clenched jaws.

“Okay Naruto.” Kakashi understands.

Naruto falls face first into his smiling sensei’s shoulder and feels his own temperature cool the further Sasuke runs, until he’s so cold his lips are trembling. Finally, Naruto heaves in a giant breath and straightens himself. Roughly wiping his face, “Guess we gotta go tell Granny we failed the mission heh.”

On the way back to Konoha, the team pretends they haven’t heard a single word. As far as anyone outside of that clearing is concerned, the squad Konoha sent after Uchiha Sasuke never saw him.

**Author's Note:**

> An exercise on Naruto POV bc I rly needed to write something in his POV to work through my own brain blockage.  
> Title from Black Beauty by LDR


End file.
